Dorothy Masuka
Dorothy Masuka (3 September 1935 – 23 February 2019) was a Zimbabwe-born South African jazz singer.
Dorothy Masuka
Peter Bennett / ZIFF · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Born
- 1935. · Bulawayo.
- Died
- 2019. · Johannesburg.
- Nationality
- Zimbabwe.
- Occupation
- singer, songwriter and musician.
- Fields
- pop music.
- Languages
- English.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Dorothy Masuka (3 September 1935 – 23 February 2019) was a Zimbabwe-born South African jazz singer.
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Documentary evidence
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wikipedia incomplete · checked 25 September 2026
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
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Authority files
wikidata · Q527741 · wikipedia · Dorothy Masuka
In this article
Music career
Music career
Masuka's music was popular in South Africa throughout the 1950s, but when her songs became more serious, the government began questioning her. Her song "Dr. Malan," mentioning difficult laws, was banned and in 1961 she sang a song for Patrice Lumumba, which led to her exile. This exile lasted 31 years in total during which she lived in Zambia and worked as a flight attendant. She returned to Zimbabwe in 1980 after independence. In August 2011, Dorothy Masuka and Mfundi Vundla, creator of the popular South African soap opera Generations, confirmed plans to make a film of Masuka's life. The film would concentrate on the years 1952 to 1957. On 27 April 2017 she featured in the concert "The Jazz Epistles featuring Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya," at The Town Hall, New York City, opening the show and delivering "one passionate performance after another, warming up and winning over the crowd". Dorothy Masuka died in Johannesburg on 23 February 2019, at the age of 83.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
2019
Dorothy Masuka died in 2019 at Johannesburg.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Bulawayo.
Birth place
Johannesburg.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q527741: Dorothy Masuka
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
- “Dorothy Masuka”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
scholarly publication
- Advertisement featuring Dorothy Masuka, Jazz Singer
Scholarly · Crossref registry
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Zindi, Fred. Dorothy Masuka: Age-old inspiration. The Herald. 22 March 2011.
- 2.Dorothy Masuka South African History Online. www.sahistory.org.za.
- 3.Sheldon, Kathleen E. Historical dictionary of women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Scarecrow Press. 2005. 0810853310.
- 4.Dorothy Masuka's life to be captured in film. Bulawayo24. 23 August 2011.
- 5.Bilawsky, Dan, "The Jazz Epistles Featuring Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya At The Town Hall", All About Jazz, 1 May 2017.
- 6.Veteran Zimbabwe Jazz Maestro Dorothy Masuka Dies: VOA Zimbabwe website. Retrieved on 23 February 2019.
References
Citations
References
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scholarly publication
Advertisement featuring Dorothy Masuka, Jazz SingerCrossref registry
Verifiedreference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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